When it first appeared on the PlayStation Vita two years ago, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack hooked a lot of people with it’s simple premise and entertaining art style. Now, developer Drinkbox studios has brought its excellent platformer to the home console. Although it isn’t as perfect a fit on consoles as the PlayStation Vita, Mutant Blobs Attack is still a great, charming platformer.
Your main objective is to absorb as many objects as possible to become large enough to move onto the next area to absorb bigger objects. Think of this as Katamari Damacy on a 2D plain with a larger focus on platforming. One of the most satisfying aspects about Mutant Blobs Attack is beginning the game seeing your diabolical little blob start as barely bigger than a quarter, and then it eventually is towering over buildings and eating objects once gigantic in comparison.
As you progress through the worlds, your blob will evolve and gain new abilities. You’ll soon be able to be a living magnet, use telekinesis to move platforms for aid, as well as turn into a jet-like blob able to fly through levels. These evolutions add great variety to each level, and when they’re paired together, it becomes a test of your abilities to use your powers in harmony with one another.
With its jump to console, Mutant Blobs Attack really doesn’t add any features or levels that differentiate the console versions from their Vita counterpart. With a two year difference between these releases, it’s a shame we weren’t treated to more content to make this purchase worth it for those who’ve already played this on Vita. Mutant Blobs can seem fairly short when compared to most console games – even arcade games. The short, bite-sized levels were a perfect on Vita, but on console, sitting down and beating the game in one sitting left me hungry for more levels.
The delightful artstyle that reminded me a lot of Genndy Tartakovsky animation Samurai Jack is back, and it’s as spectacular as ever. The entire time, it looked like I was playing a show from Cartoon Network, and being able to see it on the big screen shows off just how pretty the game is, and it’s easier to see all the detail that might have been lost when playing on the Vita’s much smaller screen, which is the only real superior feature of this handheld port.
While playing, I had the same problem I came across when I played the Vita version, which is that the controls seem just a tad too touchy. I found myself dying more because I slightly pressed the joystick in one direction, but my blob would shoot at that direction, and it occasionally would result in a death. While I eventually adjusted to the somewhat twitchy controls, it seems like they could have been just a touch tighter.
Every bit as charming and fun as the first release, Mutant Blobs Attack is the same great game on console. While it’s great that this game has made it over to more platforms for more people to experience, it does seem rather odd that it took two years for it to make its way over. Furthermore, the game does work better on it’s original platform, the Vita, because the bite size levels are great on the go. It just seems odd to play such short levels on the console platform, and the absence of any new content for console release – especially with the two year gap in release – makes playing this version only worthwhile for those who missed it the first time around.
This review is based on a review copy of the Xbox 360 version of the game Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack by Drinkbox Studios.
- Simple, fun platforming
- Great art style
- No new major additions
- Controls seem too touchy